


Mouth Open Teeth Shut

by Lori Lane (LoriLane)



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Caulfield Prison (Roswell New Mexico), Electricity, Gen, Oops, Torture, i was trying to write fluff and i failed so hard, my brain wanted to write this instead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:53:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23219557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoriLane/pseuds/Lori%20Lane
Summary: The prisoner was filthy, covered in grime and sweat. Jesse Manes wasn’t deterred by this. He was used to his subjects achieving a certain level of hopelessness before he ever arrived. Refusing to let them shower, or brush their teeth was an easy way to establish who they were. Not human. No rights. A science experiment doesn’t need to comb their hair. A science experiment doesn’t need hair.Shave it off. Remove the personality. Clothe them in uniforms. Remind the subject who they are. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	Mouth Open Teeth Shut

The prisoner was filthy, covered in grime and sweat. Jesse Manes wasn’t deterred by this. He was used to his subjects achieving a certain level of hopelessness before he ever arrived. Refusing to let them shower, or brush their teeth was an easy way to establish who they were. Not human. No rights. A science experiment doesn’t need to comb their hair. A science experiment doesn’t need hair.

Shave it off. Remove the personality. Clothe them in uniforms. Remind the subject who they are. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

“Electricity is a unique kind of pain. You’re used to pain aren’t you Michael? Belts. Cigarettes. You grew up sitting at pain’s knee. But electricity… I don’t think you’ve experienced that yet, have you? You’re going to piss yourself. Are you ready to piss yourself Michael? Or do you just want to tell me what I want to know?”

Michael shivered. His cell was purposely kept too cold. He supposed it kept him docile. Or maybe that was the lack of food. Regardless, he summoned up the energy to spit in the general direction of the ginormous asshole who was Alex Manes’ father.

“If you’re into watersports, we can play those games. Whatever you want big daddy. I give zero fucks.” He forced his face to contort itself into a grin. Make a mask. Pretend you’re not terrified. Pretend this isn’t being recorded.

It hurt.

Of course it hurt. Michael expected it to hurt. Every muscle seized up. He bit his tongue. He cried. He didn’t want to cry but it’s a bodily function and he couldn’t stop it. He cried.

And he pissed himself.

Just. Like. Jesse. Said.

The bastard smiled at him as he sobbed through blood soaked teeth. Michael liked to think he was stronger. He wanted to be stronger. But electricity doesn’t care what you want. The important thing was that he kept those teeth shut. Max and Isobel were staples of the community. People would notice if they went missing. They weren’t drunk cowboy scum like he was. He just had to keep his mouth shut. Sure Jesse had to have made the connection… three naked mute kids in the desert? And one of them happens to be an alien? It doesn’t take much to make the connections. But so long as Master Sergeant Manes has one specimen, maybe he’ll leave the other ones alone.

Michael is used to taking the punishment so his siblings don’t have to suffer. He shut off the link between them by the time he was thirteen. It took careful practice to sever it. And he missed the whisper of their voices in his head, but it kept them safe. They didn’t have to know about the things that happened in his foster home. It kept them happy. They forget he was ever linked. Afterall he’s not an Evans twin. He’s an extra. A spare. He may not even be related.

So there’s no reason Jesse Manes needs to involve himself in the Evans lives. He’s got a willing victim right here. Michael just needs to be interesting enough to maintain his attention.

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on Tumblr[ @angsty-aliens](https://angsty-aliens.tumblr.com)


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